The three R's Regret, Romance and Revenge
by RRFAN
Summary: Spoilers Warning this happens after lock down and explores the after math from Romano and Carter point of view
1. Default Chapter

CHAPTER ONE: WARNING: SEASON NINE SPOILERS DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW A FEW THING THAT ARE RUMORED TO HAPPERN NEXT SEASON. Oh yeah I don't own any of the ER characters.  
  
  
  
This take place a few weeks after "Lockdown"  
  
ER Lounge  
  
"Lots of suits and paper pushers from upstairs and the county, I heard" Heleah said to Chuney. "Maybe even a few state and national investigation.  
  
"We just got rid of the CDC." She replied as Kerry Weaver stalked in the lounge. Both nurses left. "A least, the ones of us left are getting overtime pay."  
  
Kerry was still reeling from the events of the last few weeks. The night of the outbreak had been horrible, but the after math had in some ways been worse. The way the situation had been handled. Why was she always out of the ER when things like this happened? Chuney was right at least the CDC was gone and it would be months before she had to see the report they would prepare. Many of the nurses and orderlies had left the ER and she was short staffed. A few doctors had left the hospital because of the scare. She really couldn't blame them. They had left to make more money and work in a more controlled environment. She thought of Robert. She thought about Luka. That was the real nightmare, because it didn't go away like the CDC and the other investigations would. Her first priority right now was to save herself. It was a good thing Robert had a healthy sense of self-preservation, too. He would need it, she that knew from experience.  
  
  
  
" John, John" the person knocking at the door said and the sound began to penetrate his sleep. "Are you home?"  
  
He felt guilty. People had died. That night had been a nightmare, but had started something with Abby. She was beginning to respond to him again. He knew the stress of the situation had caused him to kiss her, but she had kissed him back. Nothing else had happened since that night, except for the glances and smiles at work. They had tried to arrange to go out, but work got in the way and Abby brother had shown up last week. A least Luka was not a factor anymore, since what had happened. A knock on the door caused him to completely wake up. He jumped out of bed pulling on his trousers.  
  
"Coming, Coming. I'm up, just a minute." He yelled at the door. Opening the door he got an unexpected surprise.  
  
"Are you going to sleep all day again" Abby asked feeling exasperated. "Get up and after my shift we'll go out"  
  
She spoke to the semi- conscience form of her visiting brother. He had been in Chicago four days and had slept the majority of that time. She was beginning to worry that it was more that just sleeping off the fatigue of flying in from Japan. He had done this before, he had always had a hard time sleeping and then he would crash. He had done it since they were kids. She was going to an AA meeting, since he had called to tell her he was coming to town she had been going to meetings. He was a grown man, but he was still her little brother and it would have worried him to know she was drinking again. Funny, she hadn't let John know she was going to meeting again. That kisses, now that had confused her. John, what was she going to do. When she was with him, she wanted it to work out, she wanted to give into how she felt, but when they were apart, she began to doubt how she really felt. She grabbed her purse, wrote a note to let her brother know when she would be in and left.  
  
"No, No, NO! Stop. I've had enough you sadistic." and his voice gave out. "I have stop, what you're doing to me is torture."  
  
"You like it. I know you do" The physical therapist laughed " One more set and then we are done" She reached for his arm and began to manipulate it to move  
  
Robert Romano woke each morning hoping it had been a dream and each morning he was faced with the realization that it was over. He would never be a surgeon again, but he was still chief. That is why he put up with this pain. He was determined to get back to work and make them suffer. He channeled all his anger and rage into recovery. He looked at his useless arm. If Lizzie had been there she could have done a better job than the butcher that had repaired the damage. Lizzie, the thought of her lifted his mood. He had spent quite a bit of time with only his fantasies to keep him company and she was a big part of them. The other major fantasy had involved Kovac. That bumbling idiot had no idea what was in store for him. 


	2. chapter 2 wipe that look off your face W...

Chapter 2 - Romano  
  
It's was dark and noisy, they were waiting on the patients as the chopper idled. He yelled something, they began to argue, one thing led to another and he was pushed into the rudder blade- - - Romano jerked up in his bed, covered in sweat. The same dream ,night after night. Kovac had pushed him into the blade. It was Kovac's fault. Romano pulled himself out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He looked at his arm in the harsh light of the room. He made himself look at the barely healed scar. Reattached just below the elbow. Hours of microsurgery and all that could be said was that his had two arms, only one that functioned. There could be more surgery; he would have to make up his mind soon. Katz from Stony Brook in New York could do more work and there was a chance to return some of the arms function. All he really wanted was revenge. Kovac was on leave, pending a criminal investigation.  
  
"Keep looking at it Rocket." He said to himself over and over "Get used to it and do something about it"  
  
-Later the same morning-  
  
"Shirley" He yelled, " Get in here"  
  
"Yes, Dr. Romano?" Shirley said wishing that he had not come back to work. The weeks without him had been so peaceful. Dr. Anspaugh had filled in for Romano, but he was back.  
  
"Where are the surgical schedules and Anspaugh's notes?"  
  
"One the top of your desk in the red folder." She answered as Romano reached for them and knocked over his coffee  
  
"Damn it. Get someone in here to clean this up." He said as he stalked out of his office and headed to the surgeon lounge  
  
He hated being clumsy and uncoordinated. He missed Lizzie. While he was recuperating, she had sold her house and moved back to London. He had tried to contact her but. She was obviously cutting all ties to Chicago. He couldn't blame her.  
  
"Robert? Shirley told me you were in here. Have a minute?" Kerry walked into the room.  
  
'Wipe that sympathetic look off your face, Weaver." He said before even turning around to face her.  
  
Kerry readjusted her facial expression. "Robert, Donald said that risk management would hold a meeting this week to go over the event and repercussions of the outbreak. Do you know when the meeting will be?" Robert consulted the red folder that he held in his hand.  
  
"Friday, Kerry, the meeting is Friday. You will be called when you are needed."  
  
"I want to ---" He didn't let her finish the sentence. Romano held up his hand.  
  
"You will be called when needed. Do I have to remind you that your account of things are not first hand. You really don't need to sit in on this meeting. You really don't have anything to worry about, do you? This isn't like the time you left your beeper in the bathroom, is it?" He enjoyed this. In fact this was the first time in a long time he was enjoying himself.  
  
"You are such a , there aren't words descriptive enough for what you are!!" She said, not really speaking loud "After your "experience" I would have thought you would reevaluate yourself, your attitudes"  
  
"Why, I'm not any different than I was before the " accident"." He looked pointedly at her leg, "We are not alike"  
  
"You're right Robert, I can still do my job." She said acidly.  
  
"Be careful, Kerry, after Friday you may not have a job" He looked at her in a way that frightened her.  
  
She turned and walked away. Romano looked at her retreating form. He touched the useless arm. 


	3. ABBY AND jOHN

Chapter 3  
  
"You don't have to look so disappointed to see me" John's father said as the door opened.  
  
"What are you doing here? So early or late, which is it?" John said looking down at his wrist and realizing he wasn't wearing a watch  
  
"Can I come in?" he said and John stepped aside. They walked into John's apartment. John looked at his father and realized that this was the first time he had ever been in one of his apartments  
  
"So this is how you live, not bad"  
  
"What were you expecting?"  
  
"I don't know. Why haven't you returned any of your grandmothers calls or mine?" He asked looking at John.  
  
"I've been busy, I have work and " John let the sentence die away it was the same excuse he used so he knew his father didn't want to hear it again.  
  
"You could have at least let us know you got out of that situation at the hospital in one piece. I had to ask Don Anspaugh what happened and he gave me an update on you."  
  
"Dad I'm sorry. I just. I'm so tired of saying the same things to you" John finally said, "I should have called. I'm pretty self centered"  
  
"It runs in the family son, It runs in the family" They looked at each other and smiled. "The reason I came here has something to do with the hospital in fact. I want to ask you"  
  
John interrupted his father " I can't leave medicine this is my job, it is what I do."  
  
"No, I came to tell you that Dr. Dothan at Northwestern told me that there was some kind of new position in their emergency room and asked if you still worked at County. He said you should give him a call. I thought after every thing that happened in the last few weeks you might want a change. Let's get out of here and get something to eat. It's breakfast time by the way.  
  
John didn't answer his father. He just looked at him, ducked his head and smiled. He got up put on a shirt and shoes. "Let's go Dad. You can buy me breakfast and tell me about Northwestern and I'll fill you in on my life."  
  
  
  
Abby arrived at the hospital and checked the chart. His name wasn't there. "Hey, who's on today?" she asked to no one in particular.  
  
"Chen, Weaver and the new peds guy" Randi answered.  
  
"Oh" Abby said irritated at herself for being disappointed that John wasn't on.  
  
"He's on call maybe we'll need him to come in tonight" Randi answered seeing the look on Abby's face. "Oh don't look so surprised you got it bad girl, and every one can see it. He has it worse, though."  
  
Abby didn't even answer her she just walked to the lounge. She wondered if everyone in the ER speculated about everyone else and Randi just had the nerve to say what everyone thought out loud. Abby opened her locker and sighed. She had to get it together. She and John needed to, what did they need to do. She had to work not thought about John Carter. She walked back into the ER. She saw Dr. Chen at the admit desk and went to see what she needed.  
  
"Oh my God, What is HE doing here?" Chen said raising her head and looking behind Abby. Abby followed her glance and saw Luka standing at the door of the ER. He was talking to Weaver. He looked so bad. Weaver began walking him out of the ER. When Weaver returned, Abby went into the Ambulance Bay. Luka was still standing there.  
  
"Hey, what's going on" Abby asked as she lit her cigarette.  
  
"You still killing yourself with those" Luka asked  
  
"Where have you been? I tried to call you after." She couldn't finish  
  
"I may be in serious trouble. There may be a criminal investigation. Weaver said there would be question about my performance here. I have lost my privileges here and no other hospital or clinic will touch me. Romano has put the word out that I pushed him on purpose."  
  
"Did you?"Abby asked flatly  
  
"No, we were arguing and he pushed me and I said a few thing to him. He kept on at me and pushed me again. I pushed him too, it was a reflex. I didn't mean for it to happen. It was an accident." Luka said  
  
"Yeah, an accident" She said "Luka you need to be careful. This is the second time, I know of you have had an "accident" with your temper" They both saw Weaver coming out the doors. An ambulance was screaming into the bay. 


End file.
